5 Ways to keep the obsessive boss at bay

If you're a boss, you're likely to worry about whether your team is performing. And before you know it, you may start obsessing about your team members and their work habits. Monika Tejpal, a 22-year-old media planner, knows what this is like. Her boss wanted to know where she was all the time. He would call her early in the morning and through the day to find out what she was working on.

Soon, it was getting on her nerves and she had no option but to look for another job. "It felt like I was being stalked. He would shout on the phone if I was unable to take his call during a meeting. Nobody can work under such conditions," she says. At some point, every boss has the tendency to become obsessed, although the degree may vary. Here's how you can deal with the obsessive boss.

Create distance

If such a situation does arise at the workplace, the first things one should do is make the boss and subordinate sit far from each other, says LG Electronics COO YV Verma. This will give the subordinate a little space, and may work over a period of time.

Increase the boss's responsibilities

Another way to handle the situation is to increase the span of responsibilities of the senior manager. "Sometimes, bosses are too obsessed to delegate work properly. Either they do it themselves or prefer chasing the subordinate to make sure it's done right. This is likely to create problems between the two," says Verma. It is best to allot more work to the senior and keep him busy so that he doesn't nag.

Introduce a 360-degree appraisal

HR experts believe a 360-degree performance appraisal helps in identifying problems like these at the early stages and thus, it becomes easier to handle them. Early identification of problems can alert the management regarding the boss-subordinate relationship, and steps can be taken accordingly. This, in turn, helps in arresting attrition and avoiding conflicts in teams.

Make sure he doesn't get personal

It is important for the seniors to not get into their subordinates' personal lives after a point. Consider this: 24-year-old Krithika, who works in a BPO in Delhi started getting uncomfortable around her team leader when he started asking her about places where she hangs around with friends or parties. "If he would get to know that I went to a certain party, he would mention it to me the next day. If that was not enough, he would have all the details of what I wore and who was with me. I thought that was cunning. He had the right to ask about my work, but not my whereabouts outside the office."

Provide counselling

Many people don't realise that their obsession has gone beyond control, till the management starts getting hints on account of higher attrition or low productivity. If the situation has spun out of control, it is better to provide counselling. Companies such as LG India has a team of 10 counsellors for its 4,500-strong workforce. "This is the last corrective step one can take and it helps in many ways," says Verma. Counsellors can hear the senior employee's problems and offer guidance.